from: Dilwyn Jenkins: The
rough guide to Peru; Rough Guides, New York, London,
Delhi; 6th edition September 2006; www.roughguides.com
Transport in Puerto
Maldonado
The quickest way of getting around town and its immediate
environs is to hail [take] a
motocar (75 cents in-town flat rate, but
check before getting in) or passenger-carrying motorbikes
(30 cents, also a flat rate).
Mototaxi ("motocar") in Puerto Maldonado
If you fancy doing a bit of running about on your own, or
have a lot of ground to cover in town, moped rental is a
useful option; you'll find a reasonable place at Avenida
Gonzalez Prada 321, by the
Hotel Wilson ($1 for 1hr, $10 for 12hr; no
deposit, but passports and driving licences required). Make
sure there's ample petrol in the tank (p.547).
Accommodation in Puerto
Maldonado
 |
 Map of the town of
Puerto Maldonado with tourist hotels and tourist
information
1. Cabañaquinta
2. Hostal El Astro
3. Hostal El Solar
4. Hostal Moderno
5. Rey Port
6. Tambo de Oro
7. Wilson
8. Wasai
|
Puerto Maldonado has a reasonable range of hotels, most of
them either on or within a couple of blocks of León de
Velarde. All the better hotels offer protection against
mosquitos and some sort of air-conditioning (p.547).
Cabaña Quinta
[Jirón] Cusco 535, T. 082-571045, Fax 571890, e-mail:
cperezlencart@hotmail.com
This is close to the port and town center and is one of the
more popular hotels in town. Rooms are comfortable, have
air-conditioning and are surrounded by an attractive garden.
There's also an excellent bar-restaurant.
Hotel Don Carlos
[Jirón] Velarde 1271, T. 082-571029, Fax 571323
This well-run place overlooks the Río Tambopata in a
relatively pretty spot, within walking distance of the
center, but just beyond the heart of town. It has a swimming
pool, good restaurant, and many rooms, most with fans
[ventilation] and TVs; all have private baths.
Hotel Don Carlos, entrance side |
Hotel Don Carlos, pool |
Hospedaje Amarumayo
[Jirón] Libertad 433, T. 082-573860, e-mail:
residenciaamarumayo@hotmail.com
This is a good deal, not least because it has a small pool
and friendly staff; rooms have fans [ventilation] and
private baths. Some 6km northwest from the town center, but
only five minutes from the airport.
Hospedaje Rey Port
[Jirón] Velarde 457, T. 082-572685
Friendly but sometimes noisy; the beds are basic, rooms are
small.
Hotel Iñapari
T. 082-572575, Fax 572155
Run by a Spanish couple, Isabel and Javier. Accommodation is
in bungalows next to the forest, an atmospheric place to
start a visit to the jungle (Javier organizes several
trips), and the price includes excellent breakfasts and
dinners.
Moderno Hostal
[Jirón] Billingshurst 357, T. 082-571063
A brightly painted and well-kept hotel, with something of a
frontier-town character, not least by the nature of its
clientele who are mainly river traders. The rooms here are
small and bathrooms shared.
Wasai [lodge]
Plaza Grau 1, T./Fax 082-572290, e-mail: info@wasai.com,
www.wasai.com, or in Cusco: T. 082-221826, or Lima: T.
01-436-8792
The best of the more expensive options, offering fine views
over the Río Madre de Dios, and a swimming pool with a
waterfall and bar set among trees, overlooking a
canoe-builders' yard. All rooms are cabin-style with TV and
shower, and staff here also organize local tours and run the
Wasai Lodge
(p.547).
The Wasai lodge with bungalows on stilts in Puerto Maldonado
25m above the river banks
[You have to know that the natives are satisfied with houses
like this, with direct contact to god without many technical
things, and you have to know what arrogant impression the
western white man is making when he is arrogant]:
Typical houses of natives in Puerto Maldonado
-- Banco Credito
[Jirón] Arequipa 334 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm, 5-7pm)
-- Banco de la Nación
Jirón Daniel Carrion 233 (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm, 5-7pm)
-- cambistas [money changer] usually hang out on the corner
of [Avenida?] Prada and [Jirón] Puno,near the
Hotel Wilson.
-- Your hotel might also change dollars.
Tourist information
Captain's office
[Jirón] León de Velarde, between Avenida Gonzalez Prada and
[Jirón] Dos de Mayo. For permits to travel by river into the
jungle. Mon-Sat 8am-6pm
Excellent-value hammocks are available from La Mascota,
[Jirón] León de Velarde 599, on the corner of [Avenida]
Gonzalez Prada
Telephones: The main offices of Telefónica del Perú are on
block 7 of [Jirón] Puno (daily 7am-11pm). There are also
public phones in most parts of the town (p.548).
Official Offices
Bolivian consulate
Jirón Loreto, on the Plaza de Armas (Mon-Fri 8am-3.30pm)
Post office
[Jirón] León de Velarde 675, opposite the corner of Jirón
Jaime Troncoso. Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 8am-3pm
Immigration office
[Jirón] 26 de Diciembre 356, on block from the Plaza de
Armas.
INRENA jungle office
(Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales) is where you have
to go for permission to enter the National Parks of the
region. The office in Puerto Maldonado is:
Dirección Subregional Agraria del departamento Madre de Dios
[Subregional Agrarian management of Madre de Dios
department], Avenida 28 de Julio 482, Puerto Maldonado;
or in Lima: Calle 17, 335 Urb. El Palomar, San Isidro, Lima,
T. 01-224-3298, e-mail: comunicaciones@inrena.gob.pe
(p.548)
Bus connections of Puerto
Maldonado
To Cusco are several buses weekly, a trip ov 2-6 days. To
Iberia [before Iñapari in the North] the buses are very
irregularly, a tripo of 8-12 hours (p.568).
